The Color Scheme That Sells Homes
Plus, community grants, the week in stocks, and Tampa's swift pandemic rebound.
It is believed to have started on the Panhandle, but now it’s all the rage in South Tampa. You seemingly can’t build or sell a home without painting it white with black trim. We’ve got the story about the latest trend in home sales.
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Tampa rebounded from pandemic faster than any city in the country, industry report says. Fox 13 News
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Fish and Wildlife Service proposes a sprawling conservation area in the Everglades watershed. WUSF
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WEATHER
Temperatures Remain Cool With Mostly Sunny Skies
It will be a mostly sunny or partly cloudy this week with highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s, according to this week’s forecast from The Weather Channel:
TUESDAY 🌤️ Mainly sunny with some afternoon clouds.
🌡️87° / 56° 💦 71% / 62% 🌅 7:35 a.m. / 6:52 p.m.
WEDNESDAY 🌤️ Sunshine and clouds mixed.
🌡️86° / 69° 💦 62% / 74% 🌅 7:36 a.m. / 6:51 p.m.
THURSDAY 🌤️ Generally sunny with a few afternoon clouds.
🌡️87° / 68° 💦 62% / 78% 🌅 7:37 a.m. / 6:50 p.m.
FRIDAY ⛅️ Partly cloudy skies.
🌡️88° / 66° 💦 64% / 79% 🌅 7:37 a.m. / 6:49 p.m.
SATURDAY 🌤️ Generally sunny with afternoon clouds.
🌡️88° / 66° 💦 67% / 80% 🌅 7:38 a.m. / 6:48 p.m.
SUNDAY ☀️ Generally sunny.
🌡️89° / 67° 💦 65% / 79% 🌅 7:39 a.m. / 6:47 p.m.
MONDAY ⛅️ Partly cloudy with a few clouds at night.
🌡️88° / 68° 💦 67% / 80% 🌅 7:39 a.m. / 6:47 p.m.
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BRIEFS
Tower Spruce Up: The iconic Sulphur Springs Water Tower is getting washed and is receiving a fresh coat of paint, according to an announcement from the City of Tampa Community Engagement & Partnerships Team. The city has contracted with Kimszal Contracting Incorporated to spruce up the 214-foot structure within River Tower Park. Work on the tower is expected to begin the week of Oct. 23 and last for approximately 10 weeks, weather permitting.
Mini-Grants Available: Neighborhood, condominium, and homeowner associations in Hillsborough County can apply for grants from the county’s 2024 Neighborhood Mini-Grant Program. A news release announcing the opportunity said the program provides up to $5,000 to eligible organizations to help foster healthy, safe, and engaged neighborhoods through innovative and creative projects. This year’s categories include healthy neighborhood, safe neighborhood, and engaged neighborhood. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. Wed., Nov. 15. Visit HCFLGov.net/MiniGrant to learn more about the grant application process, view the requirements, and complete the application.
Additional Grants: Grants also are available to downtown Tampa neighborhoods via the Downtown Tampa Neighborhood Enhancement Grant program. It’s an initiative aimed at fostering vibrant and inclusive neighborhoods within downtown and offers annual grants of up to $5,000 to each of the seven neighborhoods: Central Park, Channel District, Downtown Core, River Arts District, Tampa Heights, Water Street Tampa, and West Riverfront. Examples of eligible projects include but are not limited to, public art installations, outdoor recreational spaces, community gardens, establishing cultural events, educational workshops, and interactive public spaces. The application period closes on Jan. 15, 2024.
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REPORTER
Everybody’s Going Black and White
By Judith M. Gallman
There’s a prominent color scheme that dominates South Tampa real estate, including newly constructed homes and those going back on the market: bright white with black or dark gray trim.
“That’s the hottest trend right now,” said Kelly Brelje, a real estate agent with Keller Williams.
Brelje and her husband, who live in Lutz, are currently repainting their own house, which is brown. She did a lot of driving around South Tampa over the course of three weeks to find just the right shade of white.
That’s harder than it sounds, she said, because there are so many different whites. But Brelje selected one out of about 15 she identified, and she is very excited about the eye-popping look she believes it will bring to her lakeside home.
“There was a time when all the browns were popular, and we went through the grays,” Brelje said. “You are always going to get people who don’t want it, but that’s the trend right now. It doesn’t mean they will like it forever.”
Adam Fernandez, a Keller Williams Tampa Center real estate agent, agreed with Brelje.
“Black and white is what’s trending right now,” Fernandez said. “It seems really attractive to buyers. It’s trendy, but it’s also safe. It’s not like you are going to offend anybody with white and black.”
Fernandez, a Harbor Island resident, said the popularity of a color scheme varies largely depending on the neighborhood. In one instance, he said, he was the listing agent on a “not new house” in the Fish Hawk area — a “nice Tampa suburb” in south Hillsborough County east of Gibsonton. It was painted with the trending colors, unlike the surrounding houses.
“That and some other things we did enabled the house to sell for $60K above asking price,” Fernandez said. “The color scheme definitely added curb appeal. It was different from everything else out there.”
Nancy O’Hare Wood is a real estate agent for Smith and Associates Real Estate who has noticed that sellers with buttery yellow houses and more tropical or Mediterranean hued exteriors are being “snubbed” in favor of lighter colors.
“Color trends are a normal cycle, and I don’t think the lighter colors are going away anytime soon,” she said.
Nick Wimperis has noticed the black and white mix all over the Tampa area, not just in South Tampa. A real estate agent with the Victory Home Team FL powered by Realty Group Frontier, he said the average consumer is looking for a turnkey, modern experience when they buy — just what the white-black combo seems to convey.
“I think it’s just the design right now,” Wimperis said. “It’s the hot mix.”
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Jacque Reina is a real estate agent with Smith & Associates. She first started noticing the white-black trend about seven or eight years ago, definitely before the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic but not as long as 10 years ago.
Although she can’t pinpoint exactly which builder was the first to do it, Reina thinks she has a pretty good idea.
“If you’ve ever been up in the Panhandle to Rosemary Beach, you’ve seen them,” Reina said. “There are a lot of well-to-do South Tampans who vacation there or own vacation homes there.”
Reina characterized the style of those homes, which is so well-suited for the current white-with-black color scheme, as “British West Indies and Key West without the colors.” These homes, often new, are stucco on the first floor with Hardie board on the second floor and Bermuda shutters as accents, she said.
“A builder kind of started building in that genre at Alys Beach and Rosemary Beach, and a couple of others started building in the same genre,” Reina said. “As best I can tell, that’s where I first started seeing it.”
She credited Taralon Homes, TB Homes, and Devonshire Custom Homes — inspired by the Panhandle builders — as spreading the black-white phenomenon in Tampa on custom ‘infill’ new builds in South Tampa around 2015 and beyond.
Reina said the stark white-and-black scheme has also caught on with the modern farmhouse style of stucco homes featuring helmet-like tile roofs like homes popularized by Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper fame
“It’s just become this kind of black and white world,” Reina said, noting that white creates a nice backdrop for outdoor landscaping as well as a subtle background inside for art. “Houses with reddish or orange paint, they’re not selling. As soon as they paint it white and black, it sells.”
That’s just what happened to a home that Compass real estate agent Keri O’Donnell Clare was familiar with. The Tampa Palms house was painted an appealing yellow and was on the market for a few months without selling. The homeowner took the home off the market, repainted it white with black trim, and put it back on the market. It sold in one day, O’Donnell said.
As far as Reina’s personal home color choices go, you might call her a trendsetter.
“Guilty as charged. I was the first one to do it,” the Pelican Island resident said about her choice of Sherwin Williams Pure White for the exterior and Peppercorn Gray for the trim. Her house was green when she bought it.
There are 88 homes in her development, she said, and now owners of eight of them have asked for permission for white exteriors and black roofs. Reina is planning to find a new color scheme.
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BAY AREA
Tampa door manufacturer buys company for nearly $300M. Business Observer
Tampa City Council member Guido Maniscalco addresses mayor’s failed property tax increase proposal. WMNF
Brady and Jeter’s former Davis Islands home is just another teardown. Tampa Bay Business Journal $
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FLORIDA
Florida will have a special legislative session in November to strengthen sanctions against Iran. WMNF
Cuban Americans in Florida call for Sunshine State ‘veto’ of Tom Emmer’s speaker bid. Florida Politics
New College students and faculty challenge a new state law that restricts some teaching. WUSF
Florida and other Medicaid holdout states scramble to improve health coverage. Florida Phoenix
Genetic test offers hope for undiagnosed kids, but few insurers offer to pay. Florida Medicaid will. WUSF
Florida scientists are mapping red tide fish kills to help regulate fishing afterward. WUSF
Biden administration says a Florida gambling ruling should move forward. WUSF
Roe v. Wade is gone, but abortions are on the rise. The Wall Street Journal $
A Sanibel skyline? The island's homes and businesses will certainly be much taller. WUSF
When will Florida see its first freeze of the season? News Channel 8
Bible quotes in Dave Ramsey's textbook don't break the law, says hearing officer. WUSF
Several Tampa Bay area counties see increase in overdose deaths despite decrease across Florida: Study. Fox 13 News
Floridians are flocking to this hurricane ‘safe haven’. The Wall Street Journal $
See you later, not-an-alligator. The New York Times $
Tortoise lost for 3 years in Florida returns home after only 5-mile journey. Fox 13 News
Florida State football is off to its best start in nine years. Tomahawk Nation
Florida football turning around for the better, per Sports Illustrated. Gators Wire
POLITICS
Florida bill could put term limits on county commissioners. The Center Square
DeSantis ally Richard Corcoran set to make $1.3 million per year as New College of Florida president. Creative Loafing
DeSantis said he might move the FBI Civil Rights division to “Oklahoma” or “Arkansas” . Florida Politics
How Ron DeSantis lost the internet. The New York Times $
DeSantis super PAC helps pay for private flights, in unusual move. The New York Times $
Florida’s Byron Donalds is now a candidate for U.S. house speaker. Florida Phoenix
Trump to hold rally in Hialeah — same night as GOP presidential debate in Miami. WUSF
COMMENTARY
Bulls don’t have school spirit. Or rent money. The Oracle
Time for feds to admit they screwed up classifying Florida’s manatees as less than endangered. Florida Phoenix
DeSantis Isn’t at Home Abroad. The Wall Street Journal $
Ron DeSantis’ censorious higher education policies will not go well for Florida. Florida Phoenix